Daily Outfit: Going Away to College

Growing up in Australia in the 1990’s, especially in a small rural town in the middle of nowhere, something that I did a lot of was watch American movies. I especially anything aimed at the ‘young adult’ market that featured themes of growing up, coming of age, finding love... or being brutally hacked to death by some freak in a mask. Anything that featured a University Campus and the students that went there would be high on my list of things to watch.

I revelled in the ‘Going away to College’ mentality of these films. The campuses in the films were always incredibly manicured, the students exceptionally well dressed (even when being butchered), and the whole Collegiate lifestyle really appealed to me. As did the idea of escaping my small country home-town to a big city where it wasn’t really that abnormal to be gay.

Of course, when I actually got to University it wasn’t anything like the American College experience which I felt I had been promised by movies I watched in my Parent’s lounge room. There were no varsity teams, no cheerleaders, and no yearbooks. There were no Frat Parties that lasted for days. Thankfully there were also no killing sprees by troubled students in Halloween costumes; but still. It wasn’t at all what I had expected.

Today I’m wearing:

black zip-up ‘University of Canberra’ Jumper – UC Shop
blue Oxford-cloth Shirt – Polo Ralph Lauren, thrifted
navy polyester tie embroidered with Lobsters – vintage, from Etsy
brown leather Belt – Country Road
blue/black ARC cut Jeans with leather details – G-Star Raw
brown laser-cut leather Shoes – Raphael Steffens

In the final year of my Undergraduate Degree I was granted something of a reprieve. One thing I had always wanted was a keep-sake Hoodie or T-shirt of my University, the way students in Harvard or Georgetown or even UCLA had in the movies I used to devour. And there, in the University of Canberra Campus Shop one day, the Jumper I am wearing in Today’s ensemble appeared. Mags and I each bought one – hers navy, mine black. It didn’t make up for everything we missed out on, but it was a start.

Xx